The Portland daily press., 1887-05-25
Soldier Boys Invade the National
Capital, But Not for War.
Brilliant Street Pageants and Parades
Expected at the Gathering.
Furious Thunder Storm interferes
Somewhat with the Drill

views and street parades. Washington
boasts OF many things in the superlatiye
degree. 1t has the highest monument. the
largest public buildings, the most beautiful
streets, the widest expanse OF smooth pave
ments. the finest public grounds, and many
other things the best or "biggest" Of their
KIND: And now 1t adds to the list the big
gest competitive drill. The most extensive
gathering of the kind up to this time was
that at Camp "R. C. Drum" in Mobile, in
1885, but this drill exceeds that more than
three-fold in the number Of military bodies.
The date of the National Drill was wisely
hxed at the time when the city, at the dawn
OF summer, Is in its most beautiful attire.
The .yelvety green of the lawns, the fresh
foliage OF the parks, and the bright May sun
light help to make delightful pictures around
the camp, with enchanting yistas of river
and hill in one direction, or, in the other, of
splendid buildings rising amid spacious
parks.
Camp Washington was formally opened at
II O'Clock yesterday, when General Augur
assumed personal command of the troops.
At O'Clock the gates of the drill grounds
were opened fer the first time for the ad-
mission OF the public, and at O'Clock there
was dress parade. All the companies that
had arrived and had the dust of travel re-
moved took part in this dress parade The
music was furnished by the Marine Band.
The following is the programme for to-
morrow and Thursday:
views and competitions, afternoon; dress parade,
bp. m.
Thursday Infantry company competitions, 10
TO 1 Zouave competitions, 23O; individual COM
petition, a; dress parade, 5. Artillery drills,
Athletic Park, 10 to 1.
Wednesday, the 25th, and Monday, the
30th-Decoration Day-will be the two great
days OF the camp in popular estimation.
Wednesday will be Governors Day, and the
governors of the several States, with their
staffs. will surround the President on the
grand stand in front of the White House,
and review the troops in camp. Decoration
Day the soldiers in camp will be invited to
join the procession to Arlington, to join the
Grand Army of the Republic in The exercises.
In the afternoon of that day the prizes
and trophies, the flags and stands of eolors,
the medals and cash premiums will be pre-
sented by the President to the commands
judged to have been the most skilled in
drill. Sunday has not been neglected by
those who arranged the programme. On
that day there will be religious services in
camp, and Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage, the
famous Brooklyn divine, will preach to the
soldiers.
A furious thunder and wind storm came
up at about o'clock and ended the proceed
ings for today. The roof was blown off a
large part of the grand stand, the canvas
rock-forts and war vessels and the light
house of the pyorama exhibition, on the
grounds, were tipped over. The order for
As popular success, or as a pecuniary
success, the national drill Is in problemat-
ical condition, writes the Washington cor
respondent OF the Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette. The chances are against its being
a success except as Southern affair. Nearly
all the troops will be from the South. where
the military spirit Is much more active and
potential than in the North. The Southern
men possess the love of war that has come
down to them from their ancestors, and the
days when fighting was the business and
glory, the aim of the gentleman, and labor
was disgraceful and the portion Of the serf.
And they show the love of martial display,
of bright colors, of floating banners, OF gay
music and admiration, of pride, pomp and
circumstances sucked into their systems
from the breasts Of their negro "mammies." I"
The organization of the Northern militia is
more for purposes Of business, or duty, or a
shrewd old puritanical idea of ordinary jury
duty, and the paraphernalia Of war in time
OF peace is regarded as verging little on
"vealynesS."
When Grover Cleveland was inaugurated,
this fact was emphasized in the contrast be-
tween the troops from the North and South
in the great parade on that occasion. When
Fitzhugh Lee, in his gray uniform, rode his
black stallion at the head of the Southern
troops to the gradually progressing sound of
cheers and applause that swelled above and
drowned out the faint plaudits given the
new President along the fine of march, amid
the mighty gathering he headed, the flower
of the Southern militia, who trod, as body,
for the first time, the streets of the National
Capital since the day at Appomattox, how
distinct then appeared the two types of SOL
diers, how vivid was the contrast.
The Southern men, in almost every style
of fancy uniform-barring the Scotch plaid.
They wore the shake of the grenadier, the
bursa and slashed jacket of the hussar, the
helmet of the German soldiers of the line,
the pompons and red breeches Of the French
men, the steel corSelets of the cuirassiers,
the fezzes, baggy scarlet breeches and white
leggings of the Turcos, the buff-faced coats
even the fringed buekskin and coonskin caps
of the American pioneers. They marched
with great display, many banners and much
music, but it did not look like war.
Like business was the parade of the Penn
| sylvania militia. They wore the plain, stern
army blue; they marched in solid company
| front, eight thousand strong, with knapsacks
| strapped, with blankets rolled, with hayer
| sacks, canteens ana cartridge boxes, ready tC
| go into camp, in active campaigning, or, al
the command, to wheel into line Of battle
and engage an enemy. Their display was as
| display of their Southern brother:
| was brilliant and beautiful. A com
| pany from Massachusetts in tn,
| continental dress was about the only croop:
| from the North that did not appear in the
| National uniform. But the sturdy men in
| blue felt no lack of respect for their more
| fancifully uniformed brethren, for many o.
them knew by sad personal experience O
| their fighting qualities, and plenty of then
bore upon their bodies the evidences of thu
| lighting qualities OF those who marched will
| them under the same flag.
All the other companies who arrived to
| day were from the South, and L understand
| the Southerners are feeling much disap
| pointed because so few of the Northern
| militia will be present or take part. The
| crack companies OF the South who have car.
ried off prize after prize in that section o.
the country were eager to put themselve.
in drill against the best militia Of the North
| and they supposed that the time had come
when they might be able to capture few
| Northern scalps and bear them home il
| triumph. Now they find that the drill de
velops largely into a Southern affair, and
what prizes they capture must be taken from
| those of their own section, the men thev
have often competed with before.
| The Southern brethren are largely young
| men from small cities and the country, anC
| they bring their own pots and kettles and &c
into camp in the White House lot. where thu
| sun beats down tiercely unobstructed. anC
the malaria from the flats, close at hand, per
meates the balmy evening atmosphere.
Very different was the visit of that Iowa
organization last year, the New York Seventh
Regiment. They came in pride and POM
| anu uunlnllCu UOOulc. suites Ol apartment
with bath rooms and private dressing room
| were not too rich for their blood. They
| poured out money as though they had to-
much to carry and felt 1t to be of small ac
count anyway. They uproariously tool
entire possession of the town in such genia
| protestation of proprietorshfp that tn
| city surrendered Internationally an
smiled to see the boys go it. They threy
handfuls of half dollars to street Arab
and howled with delight to see them fight 70
the coin. Tired of that, they held up th
gamins by the heels, and emptied bottles o
champagne into their ragged trowsers. Blu
when they marched and drilled they did i
with perfection that no other military oil
ganlzation in America can rival, and tn
splendid machinery of their military move
ments made even the hearts of West Poin
martlnets beat faster with enthusiasm.
| There is no regiment Of volunteer milit
IN the South that can compare with that reg
lment, nor with dozens of other regiment
that might be named.
The militia there are mostly independen
companies, based upon a social foundation
These companies rarely number over froI
thirty to forty men, and they are general
composed of the young gentlemen who hav
social entree and partake Of the german co
tillion.
The two Montgomery companies are upol
the whole the best iu the South, but the
heard there were some cOlored men expecte
to be in Washington during this drill, and S
voted to rescind their acceptance Of their in
yitation and refused to be present
Rootie neads